run kid run
by plutoondeck
Summary: there are no winners in panem — a hunger games su.


run kid run

Summary: there are no winners in panem. —hunger games au

* * *

Sixteen year old, Maya Hart sat in the woods beyond the fence with her eyes closed. She let herself breath in the cool, crisp May air. Today was the day, Reaping Day.

"Hey kid," a masculine voice broke her free of her thoughts. She looked her eyes to see her long time hunting partner, Lucas Friar staring down at her. "Lost in thought?"

"Fuck off," she flips him off.

"Whoa man," he chuckles. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

"Nothing... it's just... this day you know?"

"Yeah I got you man," he says assuring. He wraps his arm around her shoulders.

"I just miss him," she buries her face in her knees.

"Same here," he stares off in the distance.

* * *

"Today's the day," the mayor's daughter sighs. Maya stares at the pretty brunette. Lucas had made his way back home.

"Yeah, it is," Maya says absentmindedly.

"How many times is your name in?" fifteen year old Riley Matthew

"42," Maya says dejectedly. Riley reaches for her best friend's hands.

"You're not going in. I won't let that happen," Riley squeezes. Maya smiles.

"You don't know that."

"But I do."

* * *

The lady from the Capitol, in her frilly little costume, speaks in a high voice. She's preaching about the Treaty of Peace and how the Hunger Games bring peace in Panem and Maya thinks it's stupid. On stage is the Mayor and his family. Then there's Shawn Hunter, the only living Victor of District 12, standing there. His hard stare captivates Maya. Nonetheless she tunes out the Capitol escort until...

"Maya Hart—" Maya's heart stops. She's frozen from her place as the crowd moves around her. She catches Lucas' eye who just seldomly nods at her. She's about to move...

"I volunteer as tribute!" a voice cries out from the top of the stage. Maya looks up.

"Riley no!" the Mayor of the town, Cory Matthews screams. He and his wife lunge for their oldest daughter walking forward. She whispers something both to them and faces the Capitol escort.

"I volunteer as tribute," she says fiercely.

Maya is frozen again until another name is called out.

"Lucas Friar!"

* * *

"Why the hell would you do that?!" Maya yells at the mayor's daughter.

"I'm sorry peaches," Riley looks away from her. Maya glares at her. She grabs Riley by her face to get her to look at her.

"Riley, why?" she cries.

"I told you Maya. You are not going in." Maya drops into her arms and sobs until a Peacemaker has to pull her off.

* * *

There are six careers to fear of: the four kids from 1 and 2, the girl from 4, and the boy from 7.

They score a 8, 9, 10, 9, 8, and 8 (respectively).

Lucas scores a 10.

 _(He's the target.)_

Riley scores a 4.

 _(She's off the radar.)_

* * *

"So tell me young Riley, any boys back home," Caesar Flickerman raises his eyebrows. Riley blushes slightly covering her hand over her mouth. The people of the Capitol are eating it up.

"Oh no, there's no one back home," Riley sparkles as she speaks. A sense of calm washes over Panem as she talks.

"No one? Surely there was a boy to catch your eye!" Caesar insists. Riley shakes her head. "Oh come on," he leans in closer. "You can tell me!"

"Well, there is one..." her eyes trail towards the camera. The camera lens fixates towards her radiating person.

"So there is a boy back home!" the blue haired man claps in triumph.

"Well, he's not back home," Riley admits as her eyes wandering towards the backstage.

The crowd goes wild as the bell signaling end of Riley's time goes off.

* * *

"I didn't know you felt that way," Lucas approaches Riley. She's sitting off the edge of the roof. Her feet dangling off the edge.

"Sorry to put you out there like that," she avoids his eyes. He sits down next to her.

"No, these stupid Capitol people are going to eat this up... I won't kill you."

"Lucas," she finally turns towards him.

"I won't," he says adamantly.

"I won't kill you either... I don't think I'm capable of killing anyone."

* * *

Fourteen kids die in the blood bath.

 _(Bloodiest they have ever seen.)_

Two die in the woods hours after.

 _(Well... They crawled out on their hands and knees.)_

Three die in the night.

 _(That's what you get for sleeping.)_

* * *

 _19 kids are dead in 12 hours._

* * *

Riley's up in the trees watching the careers.

There's two of them left after they betrayed the group in the blood bath: the girl from four and the boy from two.

They're arguing who gets to kill who.

Four is going to kill her, and Two is going to kill the tribute from ten.

Both are gunning for Lucas.

* * *

Lucas kills the tribute from ten.

It was an accident.

(At least that how he justifies it.)

He was by the river, relieving his thirst when he felt something jump of his back. Using his fast reflexes, he flips the assailant into the river. It's the boy from ten, and he has a killer look in his eyes. He lunges for Lucas again. His hands are around his throat so fast. Lucas, thinking quickly, kicks him in the groin and puts him in a head lock.

"Die! You don't deserve to live twelve trash," Ten screams.

 **Lucas blacks out.**

The sound of a cannon brings him back.

The next thing he knows there's a dead body floating in the river and he can't wash the blood off his knuckles.

* * *

Riley survives another night. She surveys the careers. They watch in anger as they see Ten is dead.

"I get the boy from twelve," he says in triumph. The girl huffs.

Riley waits until both tributes are asleep (stupid careers) before making a run for it for the cornucopia.

* * *

Riley gets a knife. A shiver shoots down her spine holding the weapon, but she has no choice. She's about to leave the cornucopia when she senses a presence. She ducks down waits quietly and hides. She's crawling on the ground when something grabs her leg. She wants to scream but instead she turns her knife on her assailant.

"Riley it's just me," Lucas whispers with her knife against his wrist. She lets her guard down. She grabs a loose cloth and wraps his bloody wrist.

"Hey," she breathes.

"Hi," he smiles for the first time since his name was called. He hears a sound in the distance. "Quick, we have to get out of here," he commands. He takes her hand and they run.

* * *

"Why'd you volunteer Riley?"

"Maya is my best friend."

"But she would've survived."

"That doesn't mean she deserves this."

* * *

"When I was a kid, I used to watch you."

"That's not creepy at all."

"Well, okay. You're the mayor's daughter. Of course everyone watched you."

"Still creepy."

"Shut up."

"Did you have a point?"

"Yeah, let's just say, you weren't the only one who came out here with their crush."

* * *

"He was my friend."

"Who?"

"Zay."

"I know. He used to talk about you all the time."

"It wasn't like that. We weren't anything..."

"I know... he did it for my sake."

"What do you mean?"

"Can't you tell?"

"Tell what?"

"This."

And he kisses her.

He kisses her and nothing matters.

* * *

"I killed someone."

"Who?"

"Gena, the girl from 8."

"When?"

"After the bloodbath... I saw her crawling from the battle, and she looked hurt. I couldn't help but to check on her. Before I could ask her if she was okay, she grabbed me. She had a knife, but she was bleeding pretty badly. She cut my leg," she pulls up her leg cuff and shows him a healing cut. "It hurt so bad, so I kicked her in the face. She dropped her knife, and I swiped it."

"What did you do?"

"Her eyes, Luke, they were crazy. She looked at me like I was going to kill her. She still had my leg so I stabbed her... in her hand. She screamed so loud. I heard a rustling in the distance, and I got scared. I saw the careers turn on each. I didn't want to be next. I tried covering her mouth and she bit me. So I stabbed her again. That only made her scream louder. So I stabbed her in the throat. Again and again and again. When she finally stopped screaming. The only sound left was the cannon."

* * *

Lucas stared at her remembering her words.

 _I don't think I'm capable of killing anyone._

He holds her.

He doesn't know what to say.

* * *

"They're gonna find us."

"Yeah."

"I don't want to live without you."

"I want you to live."

"I mean it, Riles. I don't want to live without you."

"What are suggesting?"

"Maybe... Maybe we should just kill ourse—" the camera has cut off.

* * *

The careers go mad searching.

So mad that they girl from two attacks her ally.

She snaps her neck.

When the cannon goes off, she wipes her face free of blood and spits on his corpse.

* * *

Maya watches in anticipation.

Riley and Lucas are in the final three.

They could come home.

But will they?

 _Will they want to?_

* * *

The mad girl from two finally catches them off guard. Lucas is watching Riley's face illuminate in the flames. She's going on about a memory of Zay and he can't help but to be in love with there's a scream, and Lucas is knocked to the ground.

"Lucas!" he hears Riley, but he's preoccupied with the girl pounding the shit out of him. He tries to move him arms, but Two has him pinned underneath her knees. She's punching in the face with her strong arm and choking him with her other arm.

Lucas vision starts to blur when suddenly his face is sprayed in blood.

Riley has stabbed Two...

 _She had stabbed her ten times._

The cannon goes off.

* * *

They run.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Riley pants. They had been running for hours.

"I don't know Riles."

"I should've let Gena kill me."

"You were defending yourself."

"Yeah, but we wouldn't be in this position."

"There's no one I rather be with right now than you," Lucas caresses her face.

"But they won't let us live."

"That's not their choice."

* * *

They last two days in the arena hiding from natural disasters and mutts with no food.

* * *

"Lucas, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"About us."

"I love you Riley."

"I love you too."

"I can't live without you."

"That's not our choice."

* * *

"I wish we could stay here forever."

"In the arena?"

"Together."

* * *

It happens at night. Lucas is sleeping by a small fire, and Riley's wide awake. It's been a week since she's killed two and three days since the Capitol stopped trying to kill them. Riley examines Lucas' face. He's battered up from a mutt attack, but overall he looks relax. She sweeps his bangs off his forehead.

She takes a deep breath knowing what she has to do.

* * *

The sound of the cannon wakes Lucas up.

* * *

The last thought Riley has before she jumps off the cliff is how lovely blonde hair is.

* * *

 **end**

* * *

a/n: wow. i've had this idea brewing in my head for a while. I honestly had them both coming out of the games alive. however the more i was writing the more i realized that this wouldn't work. so hence, i finished it like this.


End file.
